Automatic firearm.



C. P. CLMENT.

' AUTOMATIC PIREARM.

APPLICATION-FILED NOV. 13, 1909.

A Patented NOV. 15, 1910.

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CHARLES PHILIBERT CLMENT, `OF LIEGE, BELGIUM.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Application filed November 13, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 527,897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Piniannn'r CLMENT, gun-maker, subject of the King of Belgium, residing at Liege, Belgium, have invented certain new and use't'ul 'Improvements in Automatic Firearms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the ait. to which it appertains to malte and use the same.

The present invention relates 'to an automatic tire-arm in which simple but effective means are provided for temporal-its7 locking or retarding the breech-bolt and maintaining the breech closed during the tiring of the cartridge, said bolt being however, disen-A gaged and released under the effect ot the recoil. so as to allow oi being thrown rear'- ward for extracting and ejecting the emptyv cartridge. shell cooking the hammer, and introducing a new cartridge into the barrel.

T he annexed drawing represents by way of example, the improved mechanism as applied to a rifle.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, showing the arm closed, coi-lied, and with the safety device in operation.- Fig. 2 is a corresponding part section showingfthe position ot' the parts after tiring. Fig. :B is an exterior view. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on r\-'A Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan of the tore part of the trigger guard. Fig. (3 represents a .part horizontal section on B-B Fig. Fig. 7 shows in elevation and plan, the longitudinal fore-end member. Fig. S is a similar view of the bolt locking or retarding member. Fig. t) shows the bar employed for drawingback the: bolt by hand. Fig. 10 illustrates the finger-hold or operating device connected to the said bar. and which the shooter actuates when drawing-back. the bolt. 4`i'g. 11 shows` .separately the plunger member engaging with the locking element. Fig. 1Q repre sents, an elevation topside plan. underside plan. and end view, ol' the breech bolt carrying the tiring pin. Fig. 13 is a View of the lett hand side ot' the trigger guard carrying the lock mechanism and trigger, same being `shown placed in safety. Fig. 1st is a right-hand side view ot said guardiand lock mechanism. Fig. 15 represents a plan of saine. and Fig. 143 is a horizontal section on line. C Fv Fig. 11). Fig. 1T shows a vertical section on lint` l)-l) Fig. 13.

The arm comprises a breech-casing 1, open l the magazine 21.

at the bottom and'to the is attached the barrel 2. side walls the casing 1 is provided at, the t'ront with a blot-.lt 3 embraced by the two lateral wings orl sides t of tl1eloreech-b0lt 5, which tits closely against. tbe inside walls of the. breech casing 1. These wings or sides 4 of the bolt 5 are connected together at the forward end by the solid cross-piece G, carrying a rod T surrounded by the re-action spring S, which bears at one end on the head 9 of this rod, and at the other end against an abutment 10 carried by the. barrel 2. The tendenc;v of the spring 8 is thus to force the bolt 5 forward into its breech-closing position.

The lock mechanism is entirely carried by the base plat/e or bod)v part of the trigger guard 1Q; it `comprises the hammer 13, the hammer .spring 14, the scar 15. the trigger 1G. and its spring 17. The disconnection between the scar 15 and the trigger 1G is ett'ected by a small lever 18, pivoting upon the trigger, and a gap or recess 19 in the sear re part of which Between its two 15 when the: trigger is fully pressed, with the object of preventing the successive and untimely discharge of several shots. The base plate ot the tri gger-guard 12 is tilted. at the rear end, by a pin 2.4 carried by the breech casing 1; it is provided at the forward -end with two slots; the onel Q0 serving to Vieceive the maga-` zine Q1, while the .other is engaged by a projection 23 of' the block 3 of the breechcasing A pin Q5, jointed at 2.6 to the fore-end iron 27, carrying the fore-end, passes transversely through the part 23 and the for 'ard portion of the base plate of the trigger guard, so as to tix, the latter in position. 'loward the front. the fore-end iron QT, which follows the shape ot the sides 4 and the rod T of the breech-bolt 5, is connected with a lng 28 depending from the barrel Q by means ot a sliding spring actuated plate 29 having therein a slot through which the lug 3S extends. The bolt. 5, whose sides are supported by their lower edges upon the trigger guard 12, is thus at the same time retained in place in the breech casing 1.

The fastening foi-'thc magazine 21 consists ot' a pin 30 passing transversely through the trigger guard 13 and provided with a stop 31 which is caused to engage by a spring with a corresponding recess 38 formed in 'lhe bolt 5 is connected whose nose engages within.

wood of the y casing, and inclosing at the fore end a spring 36 whose plunger 3T bears upon a projecting i part 38 of the bolt 5, so as to establish a yielding spring connection between the latter and the member This said bar or member'35 carries upon one side a dependingvarm 89 which corresponds in form to the side of the bolt 5 and whose lower end comes immediately over the inclined face 40 of a block 41 which is pivoted about an axis 4G carried bythe base plate of the trigger guard 12. This block 41 is pressed upward by a headed pin or plunger 42 upon which acts a spring 43; the block 41, whose frontedge is inclined or chamfered, is thus caused to engage within recesses 45 formed in the lower edge of the sides of the bolt. 5. first shock due to the recoil produced by the firing of a cartridge transmitted first of all through the inclined faces 44 and 45, to the round notches made in the trigger-guard hase plate within which the rear edge of the block 41 accurately tits in order to prevent lneakage or bending of the pin 46. This action has a temporarily retarding etfeet upon the. bolt such as to maintain the breech closed during the actual tiring of the cartridge, but the intensity of the shock is su'lfieient. to cause the face to slide over the face 44, which forces the block 41 downward and depresses the spring 43. The breech bolt 5 thus lil'ierated, is thrown rearward by the recoil until the cross-piece t3 strikes the solid block S at the same time as the rear face abuts against the end of tho breech casing 1.

In order to cock the arm for firing the first shot, it is necessary to lirst disengage the connection 4l-4l5- The drawing back of the grip part 34 by the shooter with this object causes first the compression of the spring 36 and takes the arm 39 of the bar 35 into contact with the inclined face 40 of the locking block 4l; this has the etl'ect ot' disengaging the front edge 4 4 froml the notch 45 in the sides of the bolt 1t is only then that the plunger 37 of the spring 36 engaging with the projecting part 3S of the bolt 5, rigidly connects the bar $35 to the latter, and the drawing-out of the fingervhold 34 takes the bolt 5 rearward, compressing the reaction spring R.

The ejector preferably consists of a. separate member 47 (Figs. 2, 3 and (l), located in an opening in one of the side walls of the breech casing 1, and fixed by means of a screw 48. This member 47 rejects into the interior of said casing 1, an( engages within a groove 49 (Fig. 4) formed longitudiiially in the corresponding face of the bolt 5. This member 47 causes, in the known manner, t-he ejection of the cartridge shell The through an opening made in the opposite i'aee of the casing 1.

ln order to prevent firing taking place-- that is to say, the releasing of the hammer iI-lbefore the complete closing of the arm,

, special' mechanism is provided for immovably locking the trigger 16.

This mechamsm consists y,(f Figs. 1, and 16) of a lever 50 pivoting horizontally in the trigger guard 41. and provided with two arms 52 and 53 directed inward. The front arm 52 is pressed by a spring 54 against the inclined face 56 of the head of the pin 42l (Fig. 11), while the rear arm 53 comes opposite to the face of a prolongation of the trigger 16. The arrangement is such that when the locking or retarding member 41 and the headed pin 42 are loweredthat to say, when the bolt 5 is not locked-the arm 52 of the lever 50 is forced outward, and the arm is taken below the prolongation 55 of the trigger. This latter is thus held immovable. lVhen the trigger is held depressed and the bolt 5 has not reached the end of its forward movement, the arm 58 similarly passes above the prolongation The safety acts upon the sear 15; it is arranged so as to be easily accessible and to serve as an indicator-that is to say, to enable the shooter to readily see whether the hapnner 13 is cocked or not. It consists ofa notched or flattened pin 57 (Figs. 1, 2, 13, 14, 16 and 1T) arranged horizontally in the4 trigger guard 12, and whose solid part or boss 58 bears onthe sear 15 when the operating lever 59 is moved toward the front (position of Figs. 1 and .14) and thus prevents the nose of said sear being taken out'. of bent with the hammer 155. The free endof the safety lever 59 moves in. a. recess (30, so as to fit against the sidewalls `of the casing 1 when the trigger guard 12 is put in place. lVhen the arm put out of safety, the lever 59 is moved rearward, into the` position oppositeto that shownin Figs. 1 and 14. When, on the contrary, the hammer 13 is released and taken out of bent, and the lever 59 is moved from the rear to the forward position, the boss 58 bears upon the slightly lowered Sear 15 so that the safety is arrested in the vertical position shown in Fig. 2 one then knows that the hammer 13 is not cocked.

The disassembling of the arm is Very simplyelfected b vdetaching the fore-end iron 27 and removing the pin 25 from the projecting part 28 of the breech-casing 1. The trigger guard 12 can then pivot about the axis 24, which renders the mechanism completely accessible, and permits of removing the bolt without taking same to pieces. If the axis 24 is also withdrawn, the triggerguard 12 can be completely removed.

lt is obvious that the rifle represented anddescribed above can be modified in its details tion of a reciprocating breech bolt having formed thereon a beveled or inclined surface., a pivotally mounted check device*v adapted to cooperate with said beveled surface. to retard rearward movement of the breech bolt, and a slide for manually moving the bolt rearward and having means supplemental to its connection with the bolt for positively rocking said check deviceout of the path of the bolt.

Z. In an automatic fire arm, the combination of a reciprocating breech bolt having formed thereon a beveled or inclined surface, a pivotally mounted check device having a cam surface adapted to cooperate with said beveled surface to retard rearward movement of the breech bolt and having at one side a second cam surface, 40, and a manually operable slide connected with the bolt to move it rearward and provided with means t'or cooperating with said cam surface Jf() to move the check out of the pat-h of the bolt before it is engaged thereby.

3. An automatic lire-aria comprising in combination the breech bolt a pivoted member provided with an inclined face which engages with corresponding faces on the bolt so as to create a resistance to the movement of the latter at the moment of firing a sliding member connected with thebolt fhr withdrawing the latter by arm carried by said sliding member adapted to engage with an inclined suiface on the pivoted locking member, and connected to the bolt through the medium of a spring so as to allow of said locking member being depressed and vdisengaged from t-lie bolt prior to the drawing back of the latter.

4. In an automatic tire arm, the combination of a reciprocating breech bolt having a projection terminating in a beveled or iuclined surface, a pivotally mounted device having a cam surface adapted to cooperate with said beveled surface to retard rearward movement of the breech bolt, and a spring pressed plunger or pin having one end bearing against the pivotally mounted device and acting to hold the cam surface thereon in operative position.

5. In an automatic fire arm, the combination of a reciprocating breech bolt, means acting to lock the bolt in its forward position, able trigger, and a lever interposed between the bolt. locking means and the trigger and adapted to be actuated by said means to prevent operation of the triggerl when said means are disengaged from the bolt.

G. An automatic fire-arm comprising in a firing mechanism including a mov-A hand, and an tuated plunger l. In an automatic tire arm, the combinay combination with the breech-bolt, a pivoted member provided with an inclined face on the bolt so as to create a resistance to the latter-at the moment of tiring, a spring acacting upon the pivotcd member so as to tend to maintain the latter in engagement with thc bolt, an inclined 'tace ou the head of the plunger and a locking lever of which one end bears against said inclined face of the plunger while the othcr end engages, when the pivoted block is depressed, withthe trigger.

7. An automatic tire-arm comprising in combination with the breech bolt a pivoted member provided with an inclined face which engages with a corresponding face on the bolt so as to create a resistance to the latter at the moment of tiring, a pair of forwardly extending side wings carried by the bolt which slide by their lower edges upon the base plate of the trigger guard, a rigid abutment carried by the breech casing which is embraced by said side wings, a solid crosspiece connecting together the forward ends of said wings and a forwardly-extending rod carried by the said cross-piece, and surrounded by the reaction spring arranged so as to force the bolt forwardly.

S. An automatic tire-arm comprising in combination with the breech bolt, a pivoted block provided with'an inclined facewhich engages with-a corresponding face on the Ibolt so as to create a resistance to the movement of the latter at the moment of firing,

and a trigger guard whose base plate carries the whole of the lock mechanism, said trigger guard being ixed in position at the rear by means of a pin, and at the front by a jointed pin, carried by the fore-end and passing longitudinally base plate of the trigger-guard and also through a portion of the breech casing.

9. An automatic tire-arm comprising in combination with the breech bolt, a pivoted through a section of the block provided with an inclined face which engages with a corresponding face on the bolt so as to crea-te a resist-ance to the latter at the moment of tiring and a'trigger guard whose base late carries the whole of the lock mechanism, fixed in position at. the rear by a pin and at the front by a hinged pin, passingthrough a section of the base plate and also through a portion of the breech casing, and carried by the inner extremity whose forward en'd is by a sliding catch.

10.. An automatic tire-arm comprising in combination with the breech bolt, a pivoted block provided ating with the bolt so as to create a resistance to the movement of the latter at the moment of tiring, a trigger guard whose attached to the barrel with an inclined face coper- 1 said trigger guard being of the fore-end iron at the rear end which passes longitudinally through a section of said trigger guard base plate and also through a portion of the breech casing, and a sliding spring catch for attaching the forward extremity of said fore-end iron to the barrel.

11. An automatic tire-arm comprising in combination with the breech-bolt, a pivoted block provided With an inclined face Which engages With a corresponding face on the bolt so as to create a resistance to the movement of the latter at the nonient of firing, a trigger guard Whose base plate carries the Whole of the lock mechanism and which is fixed at its rear end by a pin about which it can turn, a fore end iron carrying a hinged pin at the rear endv Which passes through a section of said trigger guard base plate and also through a portion of the breech casing and an eject-or comprising a separate member located Within one of the side Walls of said Ibreech casing and fixed by a screw.

1Q. In au automatic fire arm, the combination with a breech casing, barrel, breech bolt, and firing mechanism, including a trigger, of a plate closing an opening in the bottom of the breech casing, and means supported by said plate adapted to retard rearward movement of the breech bolt.

13. In au automatic tire arm, the combicasing and extending across the openingv therein, a reciprocating breech bolt,.iring mechanism, the bolt and tiring mechanism being both supported by said plate, and means carried by said plate for retarding rearward movement of the breech bolt.

l5. In an automatic tire arm, the combination of a breech casing open at its lower end, a barrel, a plate piVotally connected at its rear end with the breech casing and supporting a breech bolt and coperating mechanism, and a removable connection between the forward end of said plate and the breech casing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES PHILIBERT CLMENT. Witnesses: v. H. ABERT JOHNSON, A. PENDLETON RUGER. 

